Handle With Care : How Carergivers Can Look After Their Finances, As Well As Their Loved Ones

When one of the main things that you do in life is care physically, and emotionally for someone else less fortunate than you, things can get tough. Tough emotionally, physically, and even financially. In fact, many caregivers face a position of financial hardship because the great majority of their money is spent on providing for those that they are looking after and they are unable to work full time. But with some careful financial management, they don’t necessarily have to be in this position. Read on to find out more.

Savings

First of all, one thing that can make the life of a caregiver easier is to have some savings to a fall back on. These are particularly useful when you are unable to work because the person that you are caring for takes up all of your time. Having a saving fund to dip into ensures that the bills and mortgage still get paid, and you can put food on the table.

But not everyone is lucky enough to have something squirreled away for a rainy day. In this case, it may be prudent to look at other option of making the money that you do have work for you.

You could use a saving plan to put a little away each week. Or you could invest what you do have in property, or the stock market to maximize your long term investment potential and have something to fall back on in your own retirement years.

Benefits

The next financial avenue to explore is the benefits that are offer in your location. In some places, there are not only government benefits due to the person that need the care, but also benefits and tax breaks available for the person that is caring for them.

Of course, the person that you are caring for has applied for Social Security Disability (SSD), and has been denied you will need a good specialist lawyer like Karl Osterhout to help you win your case. Lawyers like these can help you appeal the initial SSD ruling and get you the benefits that you are entitled to.

Compensation

The next route that it is important to explore is compensation. Compensation is money that is given to the person with the disease or disability when they became that way through the fault of another party.

For example, many people that have mesothelioma, because they were exposed to asbestos are awarded compensation because they were not sufficiently protected from this toxic substance when they were working with it.

Each case is different, and you will need to consult with a legal team to see whether the person that you are caring for qualifies. Once this is established, you can move on from there.

Remember that it is vital that you look into any compensation that the person that you are caring for is due. Even if it doesn’t seem like much, it can really make the difference between having to scrimp and save for medical and living costs and being comfortable.

Charitable Donations

Lastly, it is also a good idea to look into any charitable donations that are available in your area. The could be in the form of cash gifts, but usually, they are focused on providing medical supplies for the care of the patient, or respite and break days to boost morale.